Adam stirred awake, taking in the dim light filtering through the curtains. Audrey was still asleep beside him, her face softened in peaceful slumber. For a fleeting moment, he felt an urge to stay with her, feeling a rare comfort in her presence. But reality pulled him back; he had responsibilities demanding his attention. He carefully pulled himself from the bed, not wanting to disturb her, and slipped out of the room.
As he stepped into the hallway, Jerek was there, waiting with an expression Adam hadn’t seen in a while—an urgent, unspoken tension.
“Jerek,” Adam said, immediately alert. “What’s going on?”
“There’s been an attack,” Jerek said in a low voice. “The Gilded Serpents”—he named Alessandro’s mafia, adding a weight to the words—“hit one of your warehouses in San Diego. Set it
